Product Description

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

Dickens's timeless tale of an orphan boy's extraordinary journey through life.

EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

• A concise introduction that gives readers important background information

• A chronology of the author's life and work

• A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context

• An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations

• Detailed explanatory notes

• Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work

• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #179320 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 656 pages

About the Author
Charles Dickens (1821-1870) used his fiction to criticize the injustices of his time, especially the brutal treatment

of the poor. He is also the author of Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. He was born in Portsmouth, England.

Customer Reviews

Oliver Twist and Fagin Return
My only real complain about this bookis that Orlick seems to be an annoying intrusion. Both of the "Great Expectations" movies I saw deleted the role of Orlick, and I can't say I missed him. Along with "Oliver Twist," "Great Expectations" was one of my father's favorites.

Onto the text. Pip (who is still a child and a literary reincarnation of Oliver Twist)) has a frightening experience in a graveyard when the escaped convict Magwitch (kind of a literary reincarnation of Fagin) threatens him and demands a file and some food. When Pip goes to get these things, we meet his sister who is not so nice to him. Though her husband Joe is. (Undoubtedly, this tense marriage reflects Dickens's divorce.) Moving on, Pip delivers the file and food to Magwitch who is of course grateful. sadly, Magwitchis captured, but he remains grateful to Pip.

Later, Pip meets the tragic Miss Havisham. Havisham was left at the altar, and she never quite forgave the male sex for this. Interestingly, she has no concept of time. She has friends who visit her on her birthday, they do not mention it. Havisham trains her adopted daughter Estella to hate all men. Pip continues to visit Havisham and Estella for sometime. Soon, some good news comes from lawyer Mr. Jaggers. Pip learns that he is to be trained as a gentleman. Pip knows that Jaggers is Havisham's lawyer, so he assumes this gift is from her. (Why not?)

Pip is accompanied by Herbert Pocket who is the son of Miss Havisham's cousin. Herbert tells Pip of Havisham's tragic past. We are permitted some sympathy for her. Pip (who is falling love with Estella) knows that Estella resembles someone, but he can't quite place who.

There is a sad, but true to life scene when Joe comes to visit Pip, and because this kind man is not so educated, he turns out to be an embarrassment to Pip. In a scene of self sacrifice, Joe decides to let Pip go his own way.

Later there is a disturbing scene between Havisham and Estella. While we may feel sorry for Havisham, she tried to plant her hatred in Estella, and naturally, Estella could only take living for hate so long. The real drama is still to come. Pip finds out that his benefactor was indeed Magwitch. (The man from the graveyard!) While we may share Pip's horror to some extent, we later learn that Magwitch is a sympathetic character. Basically, Compeyson was a kind of Uriah Heep who manipulated Magwitch. To make matters worse, it is punishable by death for Magwitch to be in England.

I don't want to give away the ending, but this is easily one of Dickens's greatest books.